Their New Chances
by Daelena
Summary: There's a better summary inside, but this is a complete BS story, set after Season 7. Please read and review. -On Hiatus-
1. Chapter 1

Fanfic 

Title: New Chances

Summary/Disclaimer: This is an AU. Anya did NOT die, Sunnydale did NOT get blown up, Sunnydale's population has returned and Willow did do the white magic on the scythe and there are lots of new Slayers. Okay, and Wood isn't dating Faith, he's persuing a relationship with Buffy, which won't happen. Maybe I'll put in a Faith/Wood thing later on. I also played around with how Spike defeated the First Evil, and how he died. I own nothing of BtVS.

Chapter 1 

The months after the defeat of the First weren't particularly easy for Buffy. She had managed, somehow, to piece together part of her life. Aside from patrolling, which was at an all-time low, she helped rebuild the high school and counsel the students who had been tramatized by their own encounters with the First. Of course, she didn't tell them that it was a demonic attack or that the First had affected their lives, she told them that they were being affected by a long series of earthquakes and freak storms.

She mourned for the loss of so many Slayers. What were left of them were spread out around the world, looking for new Slayers, with the exception of Amanda, who went to school in Sunnydale. When they had defeated the First, all of those who were still alive were offical Slayers, along with all the Slayers around the world who had become ones when Willow did the spell on the scythe. She knew now that the world would be safe now that the Slayer line was restored.

Buffy still mourned for one person in particular. She mourned for Spike. He had sacrificed himself to save the world and to save her. She missed him, she wished that he were still around. She knew that it was her who was supposed to have gone, not him.

Everyone was hurt. They all stood in a semi-circle around Buffy. She was their leader, and they need orders as to what to do. The super-vampires were in some sort of retreat mode, probably under orders from the First, surrounding the small force that was the good guys, waiting, at a fifty yards distance, to come in and kill them all.

The new Slayers were on the outside, as if gaurding them. The Scooby gang formed a sort of inner ring around her. Spike stood at her side.

"What do we do know luv?" he asked, looking down at her.

"We try to win, I guess, or die trying," she responded, grim, sad and tired.

"B, that's suidice," Faith said, looking at her sister Slayer.

"I know, but do you have any other, better ideas?" the oldest living Slayer asked to the dark Slayer.

"The amulet!" Spike cut in, holding up the necklace that hung rather uselessly, around his neck.

"It won't work, Spike," Buffy said, giving her almost-boyfriend a queer look. "It hasn't worked yet. We both know that. It probably would have never worked."

He returned her queer look, defeat written clearly on his face. She could tell that he couldn't accept this defeat as easily as she could. She saw in his eyes the sadness of knowing that she would die before him, and there was nothing that he could do to stop it. Without any warning, the amulet burst out in light, sending a continuous stream of light at the super-vamps, disentegrating all of them. Spike stood, almost shell-shocked, amazed at what the amulet, which he thought had been totally and completely useless, was now doing.

Taking this moment to her advantage, Buffy yelled for everyone to get out, and they did. She remained with Spike; he looked at her with wide eyes. Shock was written clearly on his face.

"I can feel it," he said.

"Feel what?" she asked him, worried

"My soul," he replied, "it's really there. Kinda stings. Go, they need you up there."

"No, you can still-"

"Go!" he insisted.A sudden spasm of pain caused him to throw up his hands. She took his hand in her. A fire was burst from their joined hands.

"I love you," she said.

"No, you don't," he answered. "But thanks for saying it." He looked into her eyes and knew she had truly meant what she had said. "Now go!"

Buffy looked up as her best friend, Willow, walked into the kitchen. "Hi, Buffy," Willow said, rather perkily.

"Hi."

"When're you not gonna be all sad and grumpy. We've beat the First! You should be happy for Xander and Anya, I mean, they got back to together, and they're engaged!" Willow said, concern growing for her friend.

"I'm happy for them, but I'm still grieving," Buffy said, much pain flooding into her voice.

"Spike?"

"Yeah, and now that I think about it, I know that I can't settle down and have a family like Xander and Anya. I want him back, badly. He was the only one who really understood what I was going through. I loved him, I still do. I just didn't realize it until it was too late." Buffy broke down into silent tears. Willow hugged her, crying as well. Nothing could compare to the pain the Slayer felt for the loss of the only one she considered to be her deepest confidant

Invisible to them were two beings. Both were surronded by a soft white

light and were clothed in white robes.

Both saw the Slayer cry, mourning still the lost of a very close friend. Both had heard her revelation to the red-haired witch. Both knew the truth, both saw that she still loved the one who had died with all of her heart. Both knew that she, the Vampire Slayer, loved one of her enemies, an un-dead being, a vampire. Both knew that the one she loved so dearly had shown her love before he died his second death. Both knew that he would have done anything for her, anything. Both had heard her confession. Both had heard that she wanted him back more than anything. Both knew that she loved him; both knew that she loved him.

One of the beings was the one she had lost, Spike. Spike look longingly at Buffy, his Slayer.

He whispered one word: "Buffy."

The being that stood beside him spoke. "You see, vampire, she had her heart set on one thing: you. She didn't care that you were a vampire. She didn't fall in love with your vampire side. She saw your human side. She saw the good in you, even though all of the others saw you as evil, she saw the good. Even though she denied it, she loved you. She loved you very much, she loved you until the end and she continues to love you."

"I-I'm jus' havin' trouble believin' wha' yer sayin'. She, the Vampire Slayer, loved me? Why?" he asked, tears forming in his own eyes. He hastily brushed them away.

"As I said, she saw the good in you, your human side. She never gave up hope that one day you would be fully accepted into her group of friends, even if she knew that you wouuld never."

"I'm touched, really. But why'd ya bring me to hear this? Ya want'd me ta hear her confession, then tell me why she loved me? Ya want'd me to hurt even more fer dyin' and leavin' her all alone," he practically shouted, mad at the actions of the being. "Honestly, it's not fair, fer me, or fer Buffy."

"No, I offer you a second chance. You will return to her as a human, but immortal still. She too will be given an immortal life," the being said.

"You've got to be jokin'!" Spike replied. He glared at the being, angrily.

The being smiled and said, "On matters like this, I do not joke. The both of you deserve this act of good deed, for all that you have done, and will do, in the service of The Powers That Be. Her gift will present itself on the Eve of Christmas, at midnight, in one week's time."

"Wha' about the drawbacks? There're always bloody drawbacks to the gifts given by The Powers."

"To this gift, we have placed no restrictions."

"When do I go back to her?" Spike said, quite anxiously.

"When you are ready to." Spike turned and watched his Slayer. She was still unaware of their presence. She was slumped over in the chair in which she was sitting. Willow had gone off to tend to something elsewhere in the house. He watched Buffy for a moment, before he turned back to the being.

Finally, he asked a question, "Are the Slayer and 'er friends going to the Bronze tonight?"

"Yes? Why do you question their course of action?" the being said, puzzled by the vampire's inqury.

"Good, I'll return then. If I know Buffy, and I do, she'll be upset and stay behind for a moment. I want to go back then."

"Although your reasoning is strange, vampire…"

"Why do ya continually call me 'vampire?' I got a name, ya know! Call me Spike, hell or even William, if it suits yer tastes," Spike said, giving the higher being a sarcastic look.

"Fine, _William_. Although I do not understand you reasoning, I shall return you when you wish. You shall go back different than she remembers you. You will resemble the person you were when you became a vampire, but still the person you are now," the being said.

"Fine by me, I'm jus' waitin' 'til it's time fer me ta go back." Spike smiled happily at the thought of seeing his Slayer once again

The two faded from sight until the time came for Spike to return to the living world and to the one he loved, to the Slayer, to Buffy. To Spike, that time would seem like an eternity, despite the fact that it would only be a couple of hours. He waited with building anxiety, excitement and fear. He was overjoyed at the thought of seeing Buffy again. Soon, she would see him not as a vampire, or even as a higher being, but alive, as a human, as a man.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The sun was setting as the gang was gathering at the Summer's household to go to the Bronze. Xander, who still wore an eyepatch due to his lost eye, and Anya had arrived a few minutes earlier.

Amanda had arrived before the two, owing to the fact that she lived closer to the house than they did. Amanda was now a good friend of Dawn and also attended the rebuilt Sunnydale High. She had told her parents about being a Slayer, and they had accepted it, pretty much. Amanda had spent a lot of time at the house on Revelo Drive because Buffy was the best-trained, most experienced and oldest living Slayer. Buffy had gladly taken Amanda in for extensive training. Both Dawn and Amanda were pleased at Buffy's dealing with the training of Amanda, because it involved Dawn patrolling and honing her already good fighting skills.

Faith was not there because she had gone to Cleveland to watch over the new Hellmouth there. She had taken on the responsibility of being a Slayer with ease, even when the earthquake that had been caused by Spike defeating the First had looked as if it had taken Buffy's life. She now was heading up her own training facility, with the help of Kennedy. Buffy had sent Kennedy with Faith, much to the dislike of the new Slayer, because she was too much of a control freak. The young Slayer had attempted to take control of a band of Slayers to train over a Hellmouth, which led to Buffy sending her with Faith. The once-rouge Slayer could teach the younger one a lesson or two about respect of authority. Willow had seen that much, which is why she wasn't too upset when Kennedy had left.

Andrew stuck around because he didn't have anywhere else to go, also due to the fact that he had finally become a valued assest of the team, being very useful with the reasearching, as well as the maintance of the house, cooking and the orgainzation of Slayer training. He had also become another close friend of Dawn's through the ordeal against the First. The two found friendship in the oddest of places, through simple nerddom. Buffy hadn't rejected their friendship, since Andrew had, and still was, helping out. She found it fit that Dawn be close to a guy, especially since Spike had died.

Giles had gone off to England to restart the Watcher's Council, a process which allowed him to uncover the extensive amount of money that the previous Council had stored away in its accounts. Buffy now received a steady income from there. He had also begun the process of finding and training Slayers, something Buffy was all too happy to get out of. The Watcher had a training facility, where Rona headed up training. The facility also doubled as a school and as headquarters for the new, improved and heavily changed Watcher's Council. With the help of Wesley, the rogue Watcher had managed to get in contact with many people the previous Council had had it's eye on for Watchership.

Those Slayers who had survived through the First, with the exception of Amanda, who, Buffy felt, would probably take over management of Sunnydale's protection, had gone off to help fight demons and locate new Slayers. Any Slayer that was discovered was sent Giles's way. He was currently training maybe a hundred new Slayers. Each experienced Slayer took care of the training of several newer ones, except Buffy, who only had to train Amanda and Dawn, who had picked up several of her fighting techniques from Buffy. Willow, Dawn, Amanda and Andrew were currently sitting in the living room when Xander and Anya arrived.

"Hey guys!" Xander said, after he had cracked one of his usually corney pirate joke, which everyone groaned at because they had heard the jokes far too often. "Let's get goin', or else the Bronze is gonna fill up."

"Buffy's not down yet," Andrew said, looking towards the stairs, hopeful that the petite, blond Slayer, who had willingly taken him in, would emerge.

"Oh."

Willow said, "I'll go and check on her, okay?" The group nodded their consent to her request, knowing that the Slayer's best friend could break through her crusty, mopey outer shell.

Upstairs, Willow found Buffy in her room, sitting on her bed. "Buffy? You ready to go? Everybody's here…"

"Go. I'll catch up later, okay?" Buffy told her red-haired friend. Willow nodded before heading downstairs to relay the message to the entire group. Buffy heard the front door close a moment later.  
Only when they had gone, did she cried. She cried because of Spike. She cried because she knew that she would be alone. She cried because it helped to calm her down. Buffy couldn't get rid of the feeling of guilt when she thought of Spike and remebered what he had told her before he had sacrificed himself. But remembering him made her cry even more. Most of all, she remembered that last good-bye from Spike. She really, and truly, missed the one she had known as a friend. She mourned at the thought that she had never told Spike how she felt until it was too late for them.Buffy closed her eyes trying to shut out the tears and memories. But she couldn't. The tears still came.

A hand touched her shoulder. A voice whispered her name. A voice she knew well, very well. Spike's. It was just a memory. She tried to shake away the memory, the voice, the touch, but it was all too real.

The voice said again, "Buffy. Open your eyes, it's me!"

Buffy whispered, "No…" Tears spilled out. She felt a hand brush them away. "This can't be real! Spike's…dead," she whispered, quietly, to herself.

"Buffy! I'm not dead anymore, I've come back. I'm here, now. Please, open your eyes," the voice pleaded, more urgently this time.

Slowly, she obeyed. She opened her eyes, to see Spike, or someone who resembled him. He was different, but still the same. His face resembled that of the Spike she knew, but his hair… His hair was brown, not the bleach blond that she was so used to. His cool blue eyes sparkled in a light that she only knew was because of her.

For a moment, she didn't want to believe that he was really there, but what she saw in his eyes told her that he was really there. She saw his emotions. She saw joy, sorrow, worry and…love. There was something else in his eyes, something she hadn't seen before, some sort of sparkle.

"Spike!" Buffy whispered, not daring to believe that he was sitting next to her.

"Yeah, it's me, luv. I've come back. Buffy, I'm...human." Buffy blinked when his eyes met hers. What she saw in him was…life, itself! She had seen the sparkle of life in his eyes! The sparkle that saw only her. They sat in silence for a moment, neither daring to speak.

Finally, Buffy said, "I won't ask you how it happened, or why. I don't know what the others'll think, or what they'll say, but I'm glad to have you back. I missed you so much."

"Glad to be back. An' I missed you too. Look, Buffy, I don't expect that you'll allow me back completely. I came back because I didn't want you to worry about me. I wanted you to know that I was okay."

Tears came again to Buffy's eyes. She did not cry because of mourning, she cried for happiness. She cried because Spike had come back to her. He had come because he was worried about her. Spike got up to leave. But, Buffy caught his arm.

"Don't leave yet. I'm not ready to not have you here. These past few months have been a living hell for me, honestly. All the new Slayers, the low demoninc activity, Xander and Anya getting engaged, again. Wood constantly asking me out on a date, everything. I only got through because of the memories of you. You kept me going, but…" Buffy said. Spike saw her sorrow and sat back down next to her. He hugged her.

"Don' cry. S'okay, I won' leave yet. At least, not 'till I'm sure yer ready to have me gone," he said.

Buffy looked up at him. "I don't want you to leave. I don't want you gone. Please stay." Spike smiled. She rested her head on his chest and sighed. After a moment, Buffy looked up at Spike through narrowed eyes.

"What?" he asked.

"You know, I never thought of you with brown hair before. It's kinda cute. I like it that way," she said, blushing. "Don't change, at least for now. Spike, you wanna go to the Bronze, everyone else is there."

"What if Xander trys to kill me?"

"I won't let him. I'd kill him first," she boldly said. Spike smirked at her statement. He saw the Buffy he knew and loved. He leaned in to kiss her. She stopped him.

"No, not yet," she said.

"Why not?" he asked, stubbornly.

"I don't want to rush things. I want to wait, until the moment is right. I want it to be perfect."

"Okay, Buffy…An' we were goin'?"

"Oh, yeah, right. Let's go." He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it and stood up. Buffy asked, eyeing him, quirkily, "A real gentleman, now, huh?"

"I do try."

A minute later, the two were walking down the street to the Bronze. Buffy took Spike's hand in her own. Buffy first filled Spike in on what had happened in Sunnydale while he was gone. Spike, having listened with great intrest, then told her about being given a second chance and about how upset he was to see her crying, especially over him. He didn't tell her, though, about keeping his immortality or her gift, just to be safe, and to have it be a surprise.

As they approched the Bronze, Spike turned to Buffy and said, "I've got some business to take care of. Go, I'll catch up with ya soon."

Uphappily, Buffy said, "Okay. But don't take to long. I'll be waiting."

"Save me a dance, will ya?" he asked.

"Okay." Giving him a warm smile, Buffy turned to go into the Bronze, leaving Spike to go about with whatever he needed to do. With a new spring in her step, she entered the Bronze.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

In the Bronze, Xander spotted Buffy walk in. He waved. Buffy smiled and waved back. She walked over to where they were sitting.

"Hi guys," she said, happily.

"You seem better now. What happened?" asked Dawn, smiling up at her older sister. The teen was happy to see her older sister smiling again. She could see a reminder of the sister she once knew.

"Let's just say a little angel smiled down on me," Buffy said with a little smile of her own and a blush. She plopped down next to Willow on the couch.

"So, what's up, Buff?" Xander asked. "You're finally not so upset about, you know, Spike."

"I'll tell you sometime later. Let me enjoy my oh-so-happy day," Buffy replied. She looked up and saw Wood walk in. "And suddenly, my day doesn't look so happy anymore." Wood spotted the group and walked over.

"Hi, there room for one more?" he asked.

"Yeah," Willow said, moving over to one end of the couch. Wood sat down between Buffy and Willow.

Wood said to Buffy, "I need to talk to you. A new class has been created, a self-defense class, and I think that you're the best person for this job, you want it?"

"I don't know, Robin. Can you give me some time to think about it?" Buffy asked, avoiding his eye and moving her hands to a spot convieniantly located on the armrest that was on the side opposite of him.

"Let me know soon, I would like to start the class when school lets back in after Christmas."

"Don't worry, you'll know soon enough," Buffy said. She turned back to look at her friends, but something caught her eye. Spike had just walked in and he was standing by the bar. He smiled over at her, and waved a small, two-fingered wave that only she would notice.

To her friends, Buffy said, "I'll be back in a second, I'm gonna get a drink." Her friends nodded and she got up and walked to the bar, near Spike. As he walked closer to her, she ordered a drink for herself. He leaned next to her as the bartender fixed her drink.

"What'd Wood want?" he asked, eyeing Wood with a glare that would have burned a hole through just about anything.

"Just wanted to know if I'd like to teach a class, self-defense," Buffy replied, looking over at him with a slight smile. He returned her smile. They both knew that Spike would kill Wood if he tried to make a move onto Buffy. Buffy was appreciative of it. She, the oldest living Slayer, the protectors of the human race, now had a protector of her own; it made her grateful.

"Did you accept?"

"I didn't turn it down. I wanted to get your opinion on it," she said, looking up at him.

"Go for it, luv," Spike said.

"You know, I was thinking. Now that you're human, we could do the class together. I mean, you are the only other person I know who knows my fighting technique well enough to fight with or against me," Buffy suggested, looking up into his eyes, faint traces of her infamous puppy-dog pout evident, the pout that could get her just about anything she wanted and was a surprise attack to all those who didn't know how convincing it was.

"Flattered, but how're ya goin' to tell Wood?" Spike asked, smiling down at her, reassuring her that he wanted to do it.

"Dunno, it could be a bit hard," she said. The bartender handed her the drink she ordered. She payed him before turning to face the dance floor, leaning against the bar, looking out at the dance floor. She sipped her drink.

"You'll figure somethin' out, Buffy. You always do," Spike said.

"Since when did you start flattering people?" she asked sarcastically, smiling, slyly up at him.

"Dunno. Somethings change, somethings don't," he answered with a smirk of his own.

Buffy looked down at her drink. She had finished it. Putting down on the bar, she heard a slow song come on. "You wanna dance?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Sure." She lead him out onto the dance floor. She slid her arms around his neck. While they were dancing, Buffy got caught up in her thoughts. 'I can't believe! He's really back! He's really here with me!' Buffy looked up with him. He smiled down at her with a smile that was so pure with love that she couldn't help thinking, 'He's has THE cutest smile in the entire world!' She could bearly surpress a small giggle. She returned his smile as they danced together.

Shw could feel the eyes of her friends on them, watching them dance. She knew that Xander and Wood were most likely glaring daggers at Spike, even if they didn't who he was. Buffy blocked out the thoughts of Xander's and Wood's dislike of Spike for the rest of the song, enjoying the presence of Spike, letting his essence wash over her. Buffy was finally at peace with the world.

The song ended quietly and they broke apart. Spike slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it, giving her the strength she knew she needed to face down her friends. The couple made their way to the couches on which the Scooby gang sat. Looks of confusion changed to masks of shock, surprise and, in the cases of Wood and Xander, complete and utter horror.

"What-why isn't he dead?" Xander asked, mixed feeling flooding into his voice. He was slightly upset that Spike was back, because he still couldn't get over the fact that he majorly dislike the ex-vampire. Still, the one-eyed carpenter was grateful at Spike for saving the world. He also knew that Buffy was the happiest when she was with Spike.

"Spike's been sent back to us, to me, by the Powers. I don't know how or why, but I do know that if ANY of you try and stop me from loving Spike, I will kill you myself," Buffy lectured, looking at her friends, one at a time. She looked at them hard and long, making her point extremely clear. She was daring them to challenge her.

Dawn was the first to rise. She moved slowly to her older sister and the ex-vampire. Gazing up at Spike, she decked him firmly and strongly in the nose.

Spike's face contorted in pain as he cupped his hand around his beaten nose. "What'd you do that for, Bit?" he asked, as he tried to rubbed the pain away.

"I wanted to make sure you were Spike, and not the First," Dawn answered him, smiling triumphantly. She hugged him. "Thanks for coming back to Buffy."

"Yer welcome, Bit," he said with a smile. Buffy sat down on the couch that was opposite of Wood. The high school principal glared at her, obviously upset that his chances with her had seriously decreased. Sensing the tension between Buffy and Wood, Spike sat down next to her, giving her some confidance.

"Oh, Robin," Buffy said, looking at the principal, a sneaky grin slowly creeping its way acrossed her face, "about that self-defense class you wanted me to teach next semester."

"Yes, Buffy?" he asked, coolly, noting her sly look.

Giving Spike a sideways glance, she answered happily, "I'll take it, and I've found myself someone very reliable to help teach the class."

Seeing where the discussion was headed, he said, "No, I will not have Spike teach at Sunnydale High." Wood glared at the now ex-vampire with his usual contempt. The black man was inwardly seething at the thought of Spike teaching a class that he had thought up solely for Buffy.

"Why?" Buffy asked. "'Cause I turned you down, or 'cause you don't like Spike, or 'cause he's knows my fighting style very well."

"Maybe," Spike said, "he doesn't want me teaching because he thought that you would ask him to teach with you. His mother was a Slayer, remember. Or, maybe he still hates me for killing his mother, which, as I've said at least a hundred times, I am sorry about."

"That's true, too," Buffy responded, throwing Wood a stern, Slayer look. "Well, Robin, take it,.or leave it. I will only teach a self-defense class at Sunnydale High, if, and ONLY if, Spike is there to help me teach the class."

Wood sighed once. Both Buffy and Spike were giving him very hard looks. They were looking at him in such a way that told him that he would not get what he wanted, not matter what the consequences to themselves might be. He had realized that he could only make one answer to this demand, as much as it killed him to do so. Sighing one more time, he looked at the Slayer and her Champion. Slowly, but reluctantly, the high school principal gave them a nod.


End file.
